October 6 DVD roundup

The Christmas releases outnumber the Halloween releases this week; strange. Big releases are “Ally McBeal: The Complete Series,” “My Life in Ruins,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” and “Year One.”

Usual rules apply: Synopses are taken from the press releases, snarky commentary is extra, and preview links go to Apple.com. And just in case you were wondering, the DVD prices are the listed retail prices. You can get them cheaper if you buy at discount stores or online.

Ally McBeal: The Complete Series

Fox, 32 discs, 5,175 minutes, $199.98

Ally McBeal: Season One

Fox, 6 discs, 1,035 minutes, $39.98

The adventures of the eccentric and neurotic single 28-year-old lawyer (Calista Flockhart) fresh out of Harvard, with the groovy soundtrack and numerous flashback sequences. Not sure why they are doing an all-at-once collection and a Season One collection, but it’s their (and your) money. Extras on box set: retrospective, six featurettes, soundtrack CD. Season One has no extras listed.

Assassination of a High School President

Sony, 93 minutes, R, $24.96

Sophomore journalist Bobby (Reece Daniel Thompson) writes an expose on the class president and top jock, naming him the prime suspect in a cheating scandal. But when everybody starts being nice to him, he starts to dig deeper and finds a campus-wide conspiracy. Guess the “assassination” refers to character assassination. Extras: alternate and extended scenes, deleted scenes.

Audition: 2-disc Collector’s Edition

Shout! Factory, 115 minutes, not rated

DVD: $24.99

BD: $29.99

A middle-aged widower is encouraged to go out and date again. His film producer arranges a fake audition call for a leading lady. What they get is a psycho. Japanese horror import is remastered and remixed. Why, I don’t know. But I suppose someone out there is looking forward to this version. Extras: new commentary, interviews, essay.

Bones: Season Four

Fox

DVD: 1,022 minutes, 22 episodes, 6 discs, $59.98

BD: 1,174 minutes, 26 episodes, 5 discs, $69.99

Forensic anthropologist and FBI agent team up to solve cases of badly decomposed bodies in Washington D.C. If you’re wondering about the difference in episodes for the DVD vs. BD, it’s because the first four episodes of the season were released on the DVD box set of Season Three. Guess they felt bad about the writer’s strike last year. Extras: three extended episodes, deleted scenes, gag reel, featurettes.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Wolf

Sony, 3 discs, $69.95 (BD)

Trio of horror films get the BD treatment. “Dracula” extras include intro and commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola, deleted and extended scenes, documentary, three featurettes. “Frankenstein” and “Wolf” only add BD-Live capacity.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Warner Bros., 75 minutes, $29.99 (BD)

Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!

Warner Bros., 75 minutes, $29.99 (BD)

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Warner Bros., 102 minutes, $29.99 (BD)

The Charlie Brown and two Seuss cartoon classics get the BD treatment. Both come “loaded with bonus material,” but no listing of that bonus material contains. The times are inflated, so I assume there are other specials included. It’s probably the same material as last year’s Deluxe Editions. Each includes a conventional DVD and digital copy.

Chop Socky Chooks: Volume One

Fox, 286 minutes, 13 episodes, $19.98

CGI series for Cartoon Network featuring a band of kung-fu chickens who band together to fight their nemesis, Dr. Wasabi, a mutant piranha. Yes, you read that right. No extras listed.

Contact

Warner Bros., 153 minutes, PG, $28.99 (BD)

Engrossing, if a tad overlong, adaptation of Carl Sagan’s novel about an obsessive astronomer (Jodie Foster) who actually detects an extraterrestrial and finds out that it contains instructions on how to build a massive machine to contact them. Notable for how it carefully treads the line between faith and science without insulting either one. BD debut. Extras were not listed in the release, although it does have them.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Power Squad Bod!

CMT/Paramount, 3 discs, $16.99 each

“Body Slimming Yoga,” “Calorie Blasting Dance” and “Hard Body Boot Camp” are the three titles in this high-energy workout series starring the NFL’s most famous cheerleaders. Just in time for the new CMT show “Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team” on Oct. 10. No extras listed.

Dark Country

Sony, 88 minutes, R, $24.96

Two honeymooners rescue a car crash survivor in the Nevada desert. Bad decision, as he forces them to do “the unthinkable,” according to the press release. Jump to your own conclusion from there. Extras: commentary, making-of featurette.

Ghost Ship

Warner Bros, 91 minutes, R, $28.99 (BD)

Bad things happen on a salvage mission to an Italian luxury liner sunk 40 years earlier. BD debut. Extras were not listed in the release, although it does have them.

The Hills: Season Five, Part One

MTV/Paramount, 177 minutes, 2 discs, $26.99

MTV’s quasi-reality show in the first half of its fifth season. Extras: “Speidi’s Wedding Unveiled,” “Lauren’s Last After Show,” deleted scenes, interviews, remixes, photo gallery.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Fox, 120 minutes, PG, $34.99 (BD)

Sequel to the hit holiday movie has Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) getting on the plane this time, but to New York instead of Miami with the rest of the family. He cons his way into a fancy hotel, but has to deal with the Wet Bandits (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) again. Has its moments, but not as much fun as the original. No extras listed.

SNL cast member Nealon gets his first stand-up special. He talks about getting older, avoiding conflicts and birthing babies. Features guest appearance by Gary Shandling. No extras listed.

Lark Rise to Candleford, Season One

BBC Video, 582 minutes, 10 episodes, 4 discs, $59.98

The English country childhood memoirs of Flora Thompson in the 19th century. No extras listed.

The Lola Falana Show

Video Service Corp., 200 minutes, 4 episodes, 2 discs, $29.98

Four resurrected episodes of Vegas headliner Falana, who wore some skimpy costumes for the 1970s. Guest stars include Muhammad Ali, Sonny and Cher, Billy Dee Williams, Redd Foxx and Dick Van Dyke. I watched part of this set; it’s a dated time capsule, mostly because no one makes shows like this anymore. For fans only. Extras: commentary, photo gallery, biography.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Season 5

Fox, 581 minutes, 24 episodes, 3 discs, $29.98

Fifth season of the first feministic sitcom. No extras listed.

A Miser Brothers Christmas

Warner Bros., 44 minutes, $19.98

The Miser brothers, one hot and one cold, get their own stop-motion holiday special. Extra: making-of featurette.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947 version)

Fox, 96 minutes, G, $34.99 (BD)

Miracle on 34th Street (1994 version)

Fox, 114 minutes, PG, $34.99 (BD)

Timeless Christmas classic about a little girl’s faith in Santa (and its lesser 1994 John Hughes remake) get the BD treatment. Extras on the original 1947 version include: commentary, AMC Back Story segment, Movietone News, poster gallery, featurette on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. No extras listed for the 1994 version.

Murphy’s Law, Series 1

Acorn Media, 443 minutes, 5 episodes, 3 discs, $49.99

Maverick Irish cop Tommy Murphy (James Nesbitt) takes on the London underworld’s most dangerous assignments in this British import. Extras: bio of Nesbitt.

Ken Burns turns his documentary cameras on the National Park system, focusing on Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Acadia and the Great Smoky Mountains, but with side trips to others. The San Antonio Missions didn’t make it into the film, but a short film about them can be found on the film’s website. Extras: five featurettes, outtakes.

The Number 23

Warner Bros, 98 minutes, R, $28.99 (BD)

Jim Carrey becomes engrossed in a novel about a detective who has bad mojo about the number 23. Horror movie turns out unintentionally comical, according to Amazon.com’s review. BD debut. Extras were not listed in the release, although it does have them.

Paradise Postponed/Titmuss Regained

Acorn Media, 741 minutes, 14 episodes, 5 discs, $79.99

Two classic British miniseries seen on “Masterpiece Theatre,” tracing the life of Leslie Titmuss (David Threlfall) and his socially satirical family life. Extras: bio of author John Mortimer.

Red Dwarf: Back To Earth

BBC Video, 90 minutes, 2 discs

DVD: $24.98

BD: $29.99

The crew of the Red Dwarf come back in time to find out they are only characters in a TV series, and they all die at the end of the series. So they seek out the writer and actors to find out how long they have to live. Sounds like “Galaxy Quest” in reverse. Extras: director’s cut and BBC broadcast versions, commentary, documentary, outtakes, deleted scenes, Easter Egg.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Disney, 84 minutes, G, $39.99 (BD with Digital Copy)

Disney’s first full-length feature animated film gets the BD treament. Launches the new “Diamond Collection” product line, where the extras are supposed to go all out. Includes “Disney Smart Navigation,” which brings the characters to life as “never before;” and “Disney Family Play” which offers interactive games, activities and personalization/customization features. Other extras: tour of the 1937 Hyperion Studios, where Walt Disney built his first studio; “Magic Mirror” that “recognizes” viewing patterns and makes suggestions on what to do next; “Disney View” makes the original 4.3 aspect ratio into today’s 16.9 widescreen by adding new imagery (sounds sacrilegious, but I’ll watch it and see); a BD-Live feature that allows viewers (read: little girls) to take a personality test, then receive a phone call from the princess that matches that personality; interactive game; and photo-insertion feature.

Scare Tactics: Season 3, Part One

Warner Bros., 286 minutes, 13 minutes, $29.98

Third season of SyFy version of “Punked,” hosted by Tracy Morgan. Billed as “Completely Uncensored,” which probably means some language and skin. Extras: bloopers and outtakes, extra footage.

Trick ‘r Treat

Warner Bros., 82 minutes, R

DVD: $7.95

BD (with Dgital Copy): $35.99

Horror anthology movie in the shades of “Creepshow,” but probably with a better budget. Extras: short film, commentary, two featurettes, additional scenes. BD adds BD-Live capacity.

Van de Valk Mysteries, Set 1

Acorn Media, 306 minutes, 6 episodes, 2 discs, $39.99

Another British TV series import stars Barry Foster as an unorthodox cop (is there any other kind that gets a TV series made about them?) on the streets of old Amsterdam. Originally aired in the U.K. in 1972. Extras: bio of novelist and character creator Nicholas Freeling.

Jack Black and Michael Cera are two bumbling cavemen who take a trip through early history. One of the worst reviewed films of the year so far, with only a 16% score on the Tomatometer. Extras: deleted scenes, commentary, alternate/extended scenes, gag reel, featurette. Unrated versions add both versions of the film, two featurettes. BD adds BD-Live capacity, MovieIQ, CineChat.